The government is mulling over the possibility of providing free public transportation to those who willingly renounce their driving licence, Transport Minister Ian Borg said this evening.
Outlining the extensive roadwork that the government has already set in motion, Dr Borg added: “We also have more plans in the pipeline, some on a smaller scale – such as free public transport for all children, students, elderly people, people with disability, and people who willingly renounce their driving licence for a period of time – and others on a larger scale.
“This includes studies, which are well underway, that would lead to the development of a rapid mass transport system.”
While we must continue working on the large-scale projects, such solutions, which will be finalised in a few years’ time will not facilitate today’s commute, and this is not something I can accept
Dr Borg was speaking at a Zest Unbound conference called the Future of Automobility and Traffic, during The European Mobility Week, which comes to an end this Friday.
Dr Borg noted that single actions, no matter how extensive, were not sufficient to develop and maintain effective land transport systems that adequately served the local community and economy.
"While we must continue working on the large-scale projects, such solutions, which will be finalised in a few years’ time will not facilitate today’s commute, and this is not something I can accept," he said.
Dr Borg welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement that Malta was planning on phasing out new petrol and diesel vehicles within a few decades.
Phasing out all combustion engines and replacing them with electric cars could work for a city like Valletta, but not a whole country
In the meantime, he said, the government had introduced other incentives to reduce air pollution, including the extension of a grant scheme for those who opt for electric cars, with a bigger grant for those who scrap their combustion engine vehicles. The total of 102 charging points will increase five-fold, with a further 400 public points being introduced by 2020.
One of the speakers at the conference, Ulrich Bez told timesofmalta.com that phasing out all combustion engines and replacing them with electric cars could work for a city like Valletta, but not a whole country.
The German businessman was, until the end of 2013, CEO of Aston Martin motorcars.
Under his leadership, Aston Martin became a profitable and global recognised luxury brand, selling more than 60,000 cars in 14 years – more than three times the number sold from 1913 to 2000.
Dr Bez noted that there are other solutions that could also bring down pollution levels, such as downsizing cars for specific towns.